


The Folly of Monsters

by Diespitris



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Basically Everyone Has a Bad Time, Brotherly Angst, Drama, Eventual Happy Ending, Flowey is a Manipulative Bastard, Frisk Has a Bad Time, Gen, Inspired by a Fan Comic, Mentions of Genocide Route, Minor Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pacifist Route, Sans Has a Bad Time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-15
Updated: 2016-01-30
Packaged: 2018-05-06 20:17:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5429414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diespitris/pseuds/Diespitris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a harmless act of silliness takes an unexpectedly-violent turn, Frisk finds herself betrayed, alone, injured, and scared for the first time since her arrival in the Underground. With her determination and her faith wavering, she feels as though she has no other choice than to suffer in silence... without the safety of the friends she had come to love so dearly.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, a conversation between two brothers leads to a heartfelt confrontation, and a predatory yellow flower laughs at it all from the Underground's darkest shadows.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Among the Echo Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> Is it too late for me to join the Undertale Bandwagon? No. Awesome!
> 
> Anyway, this story was inspired by this awesome comic: http://kuzukago.deviantart.com/art/deceived-572353570  
> Honestly, the idea was just too damn good to pass up! kuzukago is an awesome artist, and it would be awesome of you to check 'em out.

          Frisk felt as though she'd been running nonstop for days. Each breath felt like inhaling fire, each step stung like she was running barefoot across jagged stones. It was a miracle she made it this far; Waterfall was a long way from New Home. She faintly recalled bits and pieces of her panicked venture: the hum of elevators, the flashing lights of the Core, the concerned faces of hotel staff, and the gruff voice of the Ferry Monster.

 

          She had hoped to make it to the snow and shadows of the forests situated beyond Snowdin, until circumstance intervened. Her sneaker caught on an exposed root as she passed through a small patch of echo flowers. She hit the ground with painful force—knocking the air from her lungs. She simply lay there, sobbing. Now that she was down, she couldn't find the will to get back up. She was so tired of running and _hurting_. Everything hurt. Her legs, her arms, her head, her _heart_.

 

          Drawing her knees up against her chest, all she could think was, “Why?” She tried so hard—she was so _determined_ —to change everyone's minds and opinions about humans.

 

          When Frisk first awakened in the Ruins, on that soft bed of golden flowers, she was so afraid and uncertain about her fate. Her first encounter with a monster only worsened her doubt, because how was she supposed to know such a small, joyous flower would turn out to be so deceitful and dangerous? If Toriel hadn't come to her rescue, her adventure would have ended right then and there.

 

_Toriel..._

 

          If there was even the slightest chance to enter the Ruins once more... Frisk would have endured the pain and continued forward. With a trembling hand, she reached into her pocket to fish out her phone. She clung tightly to the device as she glanced through her contacts. Hesitantly, she made another attempt to call the gentle monster.

 

          But, nobody answered.

 

          Defeated, she dropped the phone. Of course. Since she left the Ruins, Toriel _never_ answered her calls. Why would _now_ be any different?

 

          Frisk began to fade, quickly. It was only a matter of time before exhaustion overpowered sorrow. The tears finally ceased, and her panic died down. She had no other choice; she needed rest. The echo flowers, she guessed, would provide enough cover with their large petals. Or, so she convinced herself.

 

          The heaviness of her eyelids became too much and, at last, she closed them to sleep.

 

 

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

 

 

_The looming buildings of New Home filled Frisk with_ _**determination** _ _as she stepped away from the elevator. As much as she disliked leaving Alphys behind like that, she had to speak with Asgore before anything else. She already knew in her heart she couldn't (and_ _**wouldn't** _ _) kill the King. If there was one thing she learned in the Underground, it was that violence wasn't the answer. If she could talk her way out of previous battles, then it wasn't impossible to pull it off one last time._

 

_Confidence guided her steps through the silent gray corridors. She was surprised to discover them empty; she once heard someone say the capitol was crowded. Well, at the very least, she expected a random monster to dissuade her from her path. There were no obstacles, however, and she soon entered another corridor._

 

_The bright, welcoming golden walls took the young human by surprise. The tall columns and the beautiful stained-glass windows were something to behold, unlike the gray nothingness from which she merged. In here, everything was so lively. She couldn't help but admire it all as she walked—her shoes softly pit-patting against the tile floor._

 

_She was so enchanted by her surroundings, she failed to notice the obstacle standing dead-center in her way. She gasped upon colliding with it. Whatever it was, it was soft. **A monster...!**_

 

_Instinct kicked in, and she stumbled backwards in case of danger. It wasn't until she gathered her bearings that she came to recognize the monster before her. And she smiled. “Sans!” she exclaimed, raising her hand in an excited wave._

 

_The skeleton merely slipped his hands into his pockets. “Heya,” he replied. His voice sounded hollow, emotionless, and his stiff body language set off warning bells in the human's head._

 

_Frisk frowned, tilting her head slightly. Now that she was actually looking at him, she also noticed he was wearing a red scarf—one that looked awfully familiar._

 

_Before she could ask about it, Sans broke the silence first. “Ya know,” he said, “you were clever to pull off that little stunt of yours.”_

 

_“What?”_

 

_           “I've never seen that before. You probably already knew that, though, or you wouldn't have gone for it.” His eye sockets closed. “Acting all merciful and innocent, just so everyone would let their guard down—so **I** would let my guard down. Clever, kid. Very clever.” _

 

_Of course, she had no idea what he was talking about, since she never **pretended** to give mercy to every monster who crossed her path. Yet, there was no stopping the dread from pooling in her belly. She took a step forward, nevertheless. “I don't understand,” she said softly._

 

_Sans chuckled. “Still playing the role of the harmless little girl, huh?” he questioned, his voice dripping with a bitterness Frisk never heard before. “Well, it doesn't matter anyway.” His eye sockets snapped open, revealing a sinister blue glow that served as his left pupil. “You're **not** making it to King Asgore.”_

 

_Frisk's eyes widened as he suddenly raised his hand towards her—lifting her off the ground with a magic she couldn't fathom._

 

_“You see, kid, I would normally give you a fair trial at this point. You know, **judge** you according to your actions—based mostly off your **EXP** and your **LOVE**.” His head tilted. “Do you know what those are?”_

 

_Swallowing, the human shook her head._

 

_“They're acronyms, standing for **Execution Points** and **Level of Violence**.” He shrugged. “Unfortunately, they don't really matter, since your Level of Violence hasn't changed since you've been here.” His expression darkened. “As for your Execution Points, however, you got your claws on ten of 'em.”_

 

_Frisk was dropped without care._

 

_“And you got those by **murdering someone I loved**.”_

 

_The young girl stood no chance against the unseen force that then threw her against the nearest wall. The painted stone cracked upon impact, and the pain was immediate, yet the recovery of her senses (honed through countless other battles) was quick enough for her to get back on her feet before the next blow came. She narrowly avoided the rain of sharpened bones with a roll—wincing at the grotesque sound they made when they penetrated the wall._

 

_Without a doubt, the attack would have killed her, and the skeleton didn't hesitate to launch yet another onslaught while **she** hesitated. Frisk was forced to dodge another barrage of deadly bones. “Please, stop,” she pleaded, looking helplessly towards the irate monster. She was promptly met with yet another attack._

 

_She didn't know what else to do, other than continuously dodge every attack that came her way. There was a moment or two where she was able to fit in another feeble attempt to make Sans stop._

 

_Unfortunately, his replies failed to give her hope for a peaceful end. “If you know what's good for you, kid,” he sneered, “you'll stop the stupid act and **let me end this**!”_

 

_Her heartbeat skyrocketed. **Oh, God, he actually wants to kill me...!**_

 

_“Why won't you fight back?!” he demanded._

 

_“I don't want to fight!” she cried._

 

_Sans' left eye ignited in blue fire. “Wrong answer.” With the snap of his fingers, a set of skeletal monstrosities manifested around him._

 

_To the child, they appeared as demonic floating heads, and they filled her with absolute terror. When their maws opened wide to charge a magic attack, she used what little of her determination remained to prepare a dodging maneuver. Soon, their blue lights exploded into simultaneous lasers—all aimed at her._

 

_It was only through a bizarre combination of finesse and luck that she miraculously avoided being struck dead-on. She didn't power through completely unscathed, however. One laser had grazed her right arm. Another, her thigh. The injuries stung, of course, and there was a little blood, but she was still standing._

 

_At least, until Sans' magic once again pulled her off her feet. This time, she struggled. “Put me down!” she yelled, uselessly flailing her aching limbs in an attempt to break free. “ **Please!** ”_

 

_The monster shrugged again. “Okay.”_

 

_Frisk dared to feel a sense of relief. It was a dare that cost her dearly, as it was completely and utterly obliterated when she suddenly felt a searing pain in her back. A barrage of bones struck her from above, causing her to hit the floor so hard she felt the tiles break beneath her. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she endeavored to recover from the blow. “Sans, stop,” she whimpered. “No m-more. Please, **mercy**.”_

 

_Her body trembled like a leaf, more so when the skeleton approached to loom over her. “I gotta admit,” he said. “I'm havin' a lot of trouble understanding your strategy right now, kid. You seem so damn adamant to save everyone down here. Plus, you won't even fight me.” He kneeled, his eye sockets closing slowly. “I just don't understand.”_

 

_When his eyes opened again, Frisk felt the cold, invasive stare of his glowing pupil. “Pap must have done something to **really** piss you off, then, huh?”_

 

_Her heart sank. “P-Papyrus..?”_

 

_Sans hummed as he stood. “Hmm... No, that can't be right,” he mused, raising a hand to touch the crimson scarf around his neck._

 

_“W-wait, what happened to Pap—?”_

 

_“He never did **anything** to harm or offend anyone, unless you somehow find that offensive in of itself,” he continued, ignoring and interrupting the child. Then, at his command, one of his blasters floated closer. “Did you do it simply to see if you could? Or, was it spite? Either way, I'm winning this one...”_

 

_The blaster's mouth opened wide—a final attack brewing blue between the needle-like teeth. “... **you filthy brother-killer**.”_

 

_Frisk yelped and threw her arms over her head. She didn't have enough time to get up and move out of the way. Everything hurt too much. She could only pray as she listened to the terrible hum of the charging laser. But, Fate was kind, as she soon learned when she heard someone—someone who wasn't Sans—shout, along with the alarmed... yip of a dog?_

 

_She remained low, even when the sound of her surefire end suddenly died. Instead, the young girl heard a loud collision. Startled, she hesitantly looked up. Sans and all his blasters were gone. Yet, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the skeleton behind her. He lay at the end of the corridor, encompassed by the hole he made in the wall._

 

_A force she couldn’t name had saved her, and it filled her with determination—determination to get to her feet, determination to escape. The other voices, and she was certain there was more than one now, didn't matter. She needed to remove herself from that hallway, from New Home altogether._

 

_She had all the determination she needed to run as fast as her legs could carry her and, without hesitation, she bolted for the exit._

 


	2. Within the Judgement Hall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans has a bad time, Grillby's a bro, and even more bad times ensue!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this, folks! Family stuff happened, and I hit a massive writer's block (which felt more like a writer's Great Wall of China) regarding the later half of the chapter. But, it's here! Yay!

          A harsh, strangled cry slipped from Sans' nonexistent throat as his fist collided with the unfortunate tree before him. The pain in his knuckles was blinding, yet it wasn't enough to drown out the storm of emotions tearing him apart. It was so hard to pick them out individually, but he could feel the dominate emotion: anger.

 

          The anger was what clawed at the inside of his ribcage, made every one of his bones quake, and made his soul feel like it was on fire. Except his knuckles, which throbbed with a stabbing pain. It wouldn't surprise him if he broke them. Whatever. It wasn't like his day could possibly get any worse.

 

          Eye sockets squeezing shut, the skeleton sucked in a shaky breath and fell to his knees. The dense, snowy forest set silent around him. But, the tranquility didn't help him, or his mood. He was alone with his thoughts, and that was never good. His thoughts were loud... and they were many. Normally, a trip to Grillby's remedied that particular problem, but he couldn't walk into the place in his condition—his bones rattling with the chaotic state of his emotions.

 

          While the forest possessed no way to fix his predicament, there was one comfort: there was plenty for him to destroy without consequence. His most recent victim (which, he just now realized, still had his fist painfully embedded in the outermost layer of its bark) was only one of many. No wonder his knuckles throbbed so ferociously.

 

          Then, past the gentle wind and the soft creak of branches, he caught the distant sound of footsteps. The skeleton remained still, and he listened. He heard no voices, only the soft crunch of impacting snow that drew closer and closer with every step. It was neither Papyrus, nor Undyne, and it definitely wasn't Alphys' metallic friend. It hurt his head too much to list further possibilities. But, he soon saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

 

          From a nearby line of trees, there came a light. It wasn't the beam of a flashlight; it was more like the light of a blazing torch. Sans closed his eyes in wait. If luck would have it, the nearby monster wouldn't notice him. However, through the stifling haze of his emotions, he suddenly felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He jumped, lifting his head to see who managed to sneak up on him.

 

          His sight immediately landed on a familiar flame monster, who flinched at his sudden movement. “Grillby?” he muttered. “What are you doing out here?”

 

          Grillby retracted his hand, and he took a moment to gently shake the snow off the umbrella he carried. “I was about to ask you the same question,” he softly replied. Yellow orbs glanced at the skeleton's injured fist. “But, to answer yours, I overheard Greater Dog telling his companions he saw you run into the forest. He also mentioned that you...” Again, there was a glance directed at Sans' fist. “You didn't appear as your normally-calm self.”

 

          Sans couldn't help but chuckle. “And here I thought I was being stealthy.”

 

          The taller monster seemingly frowned. “You were gone for almost a week, my friend. Everyone was wondering where you had gone, myself included. Did you really think no one would notice when you suddenly showed up again?”

 

          “It's almost been a whole week?”

 

          Grillby nodded. “I stopped by your home a few times, but no one was there. There's been no sight of your brother, either. Care to let me in on what's been going on?”

 

          There was a pause on Sans' end, then he shrugged. “Papyrus is fine. Other than that, it doesn't matter.”

 

          “... You say that as if he wasn't fine at one point.” He kneeled, so that he could pry his friend's hand from the tree. The bones were badly bruised, but they were not broken. That came as a relief; Grillby wasn't ignorant to the other pines that suffered Sans' wrath. “What happened, my friend?” he inquired, leaning against the tree. “Talk to me.”

 

          With a sigh, the skeleton rubbed his knuckles as he turned around to lean his back against the same tree. For a second, of course, he thought against it. Fighting off the other monster's aid was too much effort, however, and Grillby had always proved himself an attentive fellow. It didn't seem fair to leave such an illuminated friend in the dark. So, as another heavy breath escaped his nonexistent lungs, he rested his head against the tree and nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

 

 

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

 

 

_Sans never saw the attack as it came. One second, the kid was dead-center in his sights. Then, in the next, there was a sharp pain in his back and a powerful force threw him face-first into a wall. There was a moment or two when he completely lost sense of his bearings. All he heard was ringing, all he felt was rubble beneath his form. Yet, as his senses soon returned, he began to suspect the human had prepared a magic attack behind his back without his knowledge._

 

 _Only, the kid didn't_ _**know** _ _any magic attacks._

 

_Shakily, Sans tried to stand, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him._

 

_“BROTHER! PLEASE, THAT'S ENOUGH!”_

 

_His marrow ran cold as he looked up to meet the disapproving gaze of his brother. “P-Papyrus?” he whispered. His voice was so quiet he barely heard his own words._

 

_The taller skeleton nodded. “YES, SANS, IT IS I!” Albeit gently, he forced Sans to sit down. “AND IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THE GREAT PAPYRUS ARRIVED JUST IN TIME TO STOP YOU!”_

 

_Sans, who remained very much dumbfounded, said nothing. There was nothing he **could** say. He should have been overjoyed at the sight of his very-much-alive brother, but his mental gears were in overdrive with far too many questions to make any sense. This went against almost **everything** he recalled from past time lines. Granted, he didn't remember much, but he knew this was different... and it was mind-numbing. _

 

_As such,it didn't help when a certain Royal Scientist ran into the picture—panting and fretting. “Oh, God! Oh, God!” she whimpered, clutching her own face as she peered at Frisk's motionless form. Despite shaking like a leaf in the wind, Alphys hesitantly moved in to check on the human. Only then did said human prove she wasn't so motionless by leaping up from her spot on the floor and bolting out the door in the blink of an eye. The sudden movement didn't set well with Alphys, who yelped loudly enough to startle the brothers._

 

_Papyrus spun around in time to see Frisk vanish around the corner. “HUMAN, WAIT!” he called, but it was much too late._

 

_Catching sight of the small girl acted in the same manner as a splash of ice water on Sans' sense of reality. It came crashing down in that instant, making his soul ache with guilt. He almost... He came so **close** to..._

 

_Alphys, still shaking, approached them. “O-oh my God,” she breathed. “I t-thought for sure she was d-d-dead!” Biting down on her lip, she glanced at the doorway. “Should we... go after her?”_

 

_Papyrus crossed his arms. “I WOULDN'T WORRY, DR. ALPHYS!” he replied. “IF SHE'S ABLE TO RUN LIKE THAT, SHE'S FINE!”_

 

_“ Well, y-yes, but she looked so scared and—”_

 

_“NOW, IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME, I NEED TO GIVE MY BROTHER A STERN LECTURE REGARDING HIS COMPLETELY UNCOUTH BEHAVIOR!”_

 

_“Papyrus...” The Royal Scientist wrung her hands together as the taller monster turned to said brother, who now stood—mechanically brushing the rubble from his clothing. Sans' eye sockets were dark, and it didn't set well with her. **Nothing** about this situation felt right. Somehow, she already knew Papyrus wouldn't get to his lecture, and she wasn't wrong. Before he could get a word in, his brother asked, “Where were you, bro?”_

 

_Papyrus was thrown off guard by the interruption. “EXCUSE ME?”_

 

_Sans' form became more rigid. “Where were you?” he repeated, slowly._

 

_Alphys began to sweat._

 

_“AH, YOU WISH TO KNOW THE WHEREABOUTS OF YOUR TOTALLY-COOL BROTHER PRIOR TO WHERE HE NOW STANDS?”_

 

_“Yes.”_

 

_Despite her attempts to keep her mouth shut, Alphys was a miserable failure. “It was a prank!” she blurted—adding another strike to Papyrus' list of interruptions._

 

_He threw up his hands. “DR. ALPHYS, HOW RUDE!” he exclaimed. “I WAS ABOUT TO EXPLAIN ALL THAT!” Disappointed, he crossed his arms and huffed. “WELL, NOW THAT YOU'VE RUINED THE SURPRISE, I MAY AS WELL LET YOU TELL THE STORY.”_

 

_The color drained form the doctor's face. “Oh, n-no thank you!” she squeaked. “You do it!”_

 

_“SO BE IT!” Perking up, Papyrus took the chance without a second thought and he quickly returned his attention to his brother. “YOU SEE, SANS, I HAD SO MUCH FUN WITH MY HUMAN FRIEND THAT I WAS RATHER DISAPPOINTED WHEN WE PARTED WAYS. BUT, WHILST RECITING SAID WOES TO ONE OF HIS **MANY** FRIENDS, HOWEVER, THE GREAT PAPYRUS WAS GIVEN A MOST WONDERFUL IDEA!” He beamed. “HELP THE HUMAN WITH HER HEROIC QUEST, OF COURSE!” His cheerful expression tuned down a notch. “BUT, THERE WAS ONE PROBLEM. HOW WAS THE GREAT PAPYRUS GOING TO GET HIS LAZYBONES BROTHER INVOLVED? A PLAN WAS NEEDED, INDEED! SO, I SIMPLY LEFT!”_

 

_Sans' eye socket twitched. “... May I ask why?”_

 

_“OF COURSE! AS LAZY AS YOU ARE, I KNOW YOU AREN'T LAZY ENOUGH TO IGNORE THE SUDDEN DISAPPEARANCE OF YOUR ONE AND ONLY BROTHER!” He pointed to the scarf around Sans' neck. “YOU EVEN FOUND THE FIRST CLUE I LEFT FOR YOU!” Once more, he crossed his arms with a childlike huff. “I CONSTRUCTED A WHOLE **TRAIL** OF CLUES TO FOLLOW!”_

 

_Alphys swallowed. “B-but you went right after Frisk...”_

 

_Sans shoved his hands into his pockets. His teeth gnashed together as he struggled to remain silent. Anger was a familiar emotion; it simmered within the confines of his ribcage multiple times over the course of the past few days. The last thing he wanted, however, was to feel it against Papyrus, but it was there and unwanted and he wanted so badly to lash out. Yet, he knew better, because his brother simply didn't **understand**. _

 

_It wasn't Papyrus' fault and, yet, that somehow made it **worse**._

 

_He couldn't stay. If he stayed, he would say something regrettable. It was already too late to stop himself from removing Papyrus' scarf and tossing it to him. “The next time you think it would be hilarious to make me believe something awful happened to you, bro,” he began, without thinking, “please reconsider.” Briefly, his left eye flared with magic. “Because **it won't be**.”_

 

_Both Papyrus and Alphys took a step back as Sans proceeded to walk away in an obvious sulk, leaving the taller skeleton absolutely baffled. “Sans, wait!” he called. He ran after his brother, despite Alphys' attempts to keep him in one spot._

 

_Sans exited through the same door as the human, and he rounded the same corner. Only, he didn't stick around long enough for Papyrus to catch up to him. He'd taken a much-needed shortcut long before Papyrus had the chance to reach him._

 


	3. On Doubt and Safety

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter may be small, but I hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> Also, it may be a while before the next update. I have a personal writing project that I've neglected for far too long and I'd like to finish it up before I do anything else. I hope y'all can forgive me!

          Papyrus didn't know what to think as he stared down the empty corridor. His brother was gone, just gone. How...? Sans couldn't possibly move that fast! Sans was... Well, he was Sans! He always moved at a mere snail's pace when it came to _everything_. It was yet another unexpected development, and Papyrus didn't much care for it.

 

          Yet, there was no denying the chilling sense of dread that settled into his bones. Not one thing had gone accordingly to his awesome plan! Why? He thought he'd thought of everything. He just... didn't expect so much violence. There wasn't supposed to be any in the first place! It was supposed to be fun, mysterious, and an epic conclusion awaited!

 

          Yet, Sans had gone after Frisk without a second thought—without provocation. And, frankly, it was a little frightening.

 

          The skeleton was pulled from his thoughts when a small, clawed hand tugged on his glove. He looked down, and saw Alphys. “IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THIS,” he said.

 

          She bit down on her lip. “I-I know. It was a... fun idea while it lasted, though.”

 

          “TRULY?”

 

          “Y-yeah! But, not even I... Not even I could have predicted such v-violence.”

 

          Papyrus looked down at the scarf in his hands. _His_ scarf, the one he left behind. It was simply a clue then, but now... Sans was wearing it as he fought Frisk. Why? It certainly wasn't cold in New Home. It didn't make any sense. Clearly, if he wanted answers, he was going to have to find his brother. And, perhaps... “ALPHYS,” he said.

          She flinched. “Y-yes?”

 

          “DO YOU HAVE UNDYNE'S NUMBER?”

 

          “Y-yes!”

 

          “PLEASE GIVE HER A CALL, AND INFORM HER OF THE SITUATION. WE MAY NEED HER HELP IF WE WANT TO QUICKLY FIND THE HUMAN.” Sighing, he wrapped the scarf around his neck. “I NEED TO FIND SANS.”

 

          Alphys nodded. “I'll head back to the lab, then. I can keep an eye out for Frisk on my c-cameras. Plus, Mettaton still needs repairs. Once he's fixed I-I'm sure he'll want to help!”

 

          “BRILLIANT IDEA, ALPHYS! YOU DO THAT EXACT THING! NOW, LET US CONTINUE ONWARD!” He turned from her with the intention of heroically marching away. Instead, something caught his boot and he fell flat on his face. He groaned and glared at the small creature latched firmly onto his boot. “YOU!” he exclaimed, pointing a finger at the perpetrator.

 

          The fluffy, white dog began to wag its tail. It was, by his admission, a constant source of annoyance—so much so that it saw fit to follow him to even this place. Papyrus, unfortunately, suffered a similar incident shortly before he stopped his brother from hurting the human any further.

 

          “DOG, UNHAND THE GREAT PAPYRUS! YOU ARE HINDERING HIS MISSION!”

 

          Its tail swayed faster, but it did not let go.

 

          “ALPHYS, AID ME!”

 

          The Royal Scientist blinked. She hadn't even spotted the dog until the skeleton fell. Albeit, it looked harmless enough, but she took great care as she removed the pooch by picking it up—out of its reach of Papyrus. “Better?” she asked, smiling faintly as the dog licked her chin.

 

          “YES, THANK YOU!” Like a spring, he bounced back up onto his feet. “I SHALL LEAVE THE ANNOYING CANINE WITH YOU! FOR NOW, I MUST GO!”

 

          “Got it.”

 

          “AGAIN, THANK YOU!” Now unhindered, he was able to successfully speed away. With an energetic wave, he then shouted, “I'LL CALL YOU AS SOON AS I FIND MY BROTHER!”

 

          Alphys wiped the sweat from her brow. “Understood! Good luck, Papyrus!”

 

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

 

          Frisk faced disorientation and pain when she finally awakened from slumber. The combination was miserable; the former was nauseating, the latter was agony. The uncomfortable wooden floor upon which she lay didn't help either. Wait... No, that wasn't right. Wooden floor?

 

          The soft glow of echo flowers ignited as a fleeing memory before her eyes. She recalled the vast patches of blue, then. That was how far she was able to flee before she tripped. She was moved, she realized, and she'd been moved to another familiar place.

 

          “Oh, you're awake,” whispered a soft voice. “I didn't do that, did I?”

 

          Slowly, Frisk turned her head to look at the floating monster. “... Napstablook?”

 

          Her ghostly acquaintance nodded. “Hello, nice person. I didn't wake you, did I?”

 

          “Nuh-uh.”

 

          “Oh, good.” It moved with caution as it lowered into a sitting position beside her. “Are you okay? You were asleep in one of the echo flower beds. I mean, it's not my place to judge where you choose to sleep... but you looked hurt.”

 

          “How...?” God, it even hurt to speak; her mouth was dry and her throat was sore. “How did I get here?”

 

          Napstablook squirmed. “I-I didn't really know what to do, so I went to the Temmie Village.” Their body faded a little—allowing Frisk a nice view of the opposite wall. “I usually avoid it, though. The Temmies are random and, sometimes, they're loud. Oh, I hope that's not mean to say, because they were so helpful. Well, Bob was, not that the others were bad people for not—”

 

          “Blooky,” the human groaned.

 

          “Oh, sorry.” Their form became a solid white once again. “Anyway, Bob carried you here on his back. That's... basically it.” They glanced behind them, at their computer. “I've just been... around since then, waiting for you to wake up.”

 

          “Thank you.” _And thank you, Bob._

 

          “Do you need anything?”

 

          She shook her head. As much as she wanted to ask if they had any spare food around, she knew Napstablook had only ghost food. She wasn't going to make them feel guilty—not after they'd done so much for her already. No, she was content to simply lay there. It felt like an eternity since the last time she felt safe, and she felt it here. Moving was not an option at that moment.

 

          She sighed and asked, “Would... you like to lay with me and feel like garbage for a little bit?” Not that she didn't already feel like garbage.

 

          A tiny smile appeared on Napstablook's transparent face, and they immediately took a prone position alongside her. The tiny house set in silence then, despite the green, vine-like appendage that slithered up one of the dim walls.


End file.
